Deserters in the FranXX
by Order of Alignment
Summary: During the events of episode 14, a hospitalized Hiro ponders over words once dismissed as a joke by the one that spoke them. "I can get you out of here, darling." Before he regained his memories, he couldn't imagine why she had spoken those words, but now he did. It was a plea, and a promise from long ago. And he intended to make good on that promise.
1. Episode 1

She messed up.

Zero Two bit her nail angrily as she stalked down the hall of Plantation 13's medical wing, determined to sort things out with her love. She was angry with the world, for being so cruel to her, Doctor FranXX, the damned fool who took her Darling's memory, but mostly herself.

Everything she had done since that fateful day in the Garden, all for the faint hope of reuniting with her other wing.

And, despite that, she ended up nearly killed him.

Ironic.

She was outside his door now, she had been for nearly five minutes, yet she didn't move to go in. The Plantation's various personnel passed by paying no attention to the distraught hybrid as she stood outside the room that held the only reason she kept on living.

_I should go in._

But she didn't, and she knew why. What if he rejected her? Could she take that? It was within his right, and she couldn't- _wouldn't- _blame him if he did, but if that didn't kill her, then she would certainly finish the job.

_Does he miss me? Now that he remembers?_

She scoffed at her own thoughts. She was a monster, and her recent actions proved it. Why would he want to be with her? He would never be safe with her around.

But perhaps… if she left… she could protect him, right? He wouldn't pilot a FranXX, wouldn't be on the battlefield, wouldn't transform into a monster like her…

That would be best for him, right?

So preoccupied in her thoughts, she did not take note of the multiple angry footsteps echoing through the corridor until Squad 13 was right in front.

Or, to be more specific, Ichigo.

Snapped out of her reverie, she took one look at the squad, then did something she would never consider under normal circumstances when facing a conflict.

She turned and began to walk away.

"Wait." Ichigo snarled.

She kept walking.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!

She sighed to herself. _I'm sorry, Darling, I can't-_

Then there as a hand on her shoulder in a tight grip, and she was spun around to face the angry Squad Leader, who glared at her. "I said _wait_."

Zero Two gave a colder glare in response. "What? I came here to visit my Darling." _And I'm leaving-_

"Are you serious?! Don't you realize who put him in that hospital bed?!" Ichigo growled.  
Goro walked up to her and said something, but neither of the girls paid attention to the boy, keeping their eyes on each other. "I'll be damned before I let you go near him again."

"..."

The hybrid made sure to keep her trembling under control, and made sure no tears left her eyes. Even though she had decided already to leave, that didn't make the fact that everyone was still trying to keep them separated hurt any less. She opened her mouth to retort-

But the hospital door slid open.

* * *

He didn't blame her. How could he?

She had tried, so, _so _hard to revive his memories, testing him to see if he was the one.

And he had failed spectacularly.

He was supposed to protect her, not hurt her! Save her, not hold her back! He was supposed to love her, yet he had let herself grow distant in front him!

No, he couldn't blame her for trying to kill him.

But they need to talk.

As he wasn't going anywhere, he decided to let her come to him.

He really hoped she came.

The hospitalized parasite was laying down in his bed in the medical ward, and had been since he woke up. He had inspected the bruising on his neck, noting with some surprise that he wasn't as sore there as he thought he would be.

Then he noticed the horns.

He had been running a hand through his messy bangs only to feel two protrusions that weren't there when he fell unconscious, and after he made sure that they were not just pimples, he deduced that they were horns.

It didn't bother him, honestly. It was just another thing tying him to Zero Two.

_Will she like them?_ he wondered, then grinned softly. _Probably. It means she's not alone anymore._

_Hopefully._

…

…

…

He had been sleeping for a while before voices at the door awoke him, and he wondered sleepily why people decided to argue when he was sleeping, judging from the volume of the voices-

"What? I came here to visit my Darling."

_Zero Two,_ he realized, and he was suddenly very much awake. As if moving on autopilot, he shot up from his bed and dragged his feet towards the door, and with the press of a button, it opened.

* * *

Zero Two was rather conflicted.

On one hand, she wanted to fling herself into his arms and beg for his forgiveness while bawling her eyes out. On the other, she wanted to flee, to save him for herself.

Hiro didn't give her the chance to pick. Ignoring the surprised and worried looks of his squad mates (and an indignant one from Ichigo) he grabbed her and pulled her towards him, simultaneously pulling them both back into his room, which automatically closed behind them.

Then they were hugging, and he was crying and she was crying but it felt wonderful because Darling was holding her-

"Zero Two," Hiro breathed, tickling her ear slightly. "Zero Two, Zero Two." He repeated her name like it was a mantra, like it was the only thing that mattered to him, and it made her happy.

"Da-Darling, I… I'm so s-sorry…" She cried silently into his shoulder. _Please don't let go._

Hiro took a shaky breath. "I'm… I'm sorry too, Zero Two." Then he snarled, and for a moment the horned girl thought he would lash out at her in some way, but he only began to rant, and it wasn't long before she realized that he was angry at himself, not her.

"I was supposed to protect you, but I didn't! I promised to be with you always, but I wasn't!" he cried. "I promised to help you, free you from that cage we never left! And I forgot!" he muttered the last part ashamed, his grip tightening slightly.

Zero Two pulled back and cupped Hiro's face in her hands. "It wasn't your fault, Darling! How… how could you have known? They wiped your memory!" she argued.

Hiro shook his head. "That's not excuse. I broke my promise." He stared at her for a moment before drawing her closer to him and bringing his forehead to hers.

"So let me make a new one."

Then he kissed her. And for that small moment, all was well in the world.

He disconnected and pulled back slightly, his gaze never leaving hers. "I promise you, no matter what, I'll come find you."

Zero Two smiled, all her previous doubts forgotten. "So do I."

Hiro took a breath, then gazed at her intensely. "Zero Two," he began, and Zero Two shivered in anticipation.

"I also promise you this; I will get us out of here."

Zero Two's eyes widened in shock. "Darling... you don't mean...?

"I do," Hiro nodded. "Let's escape, Zero Two. I think, this time... If we pull this off... we can be free."

* * *

**A/N: Starting another story when I haven't finished my other one is a horrible idea.**

**I'm doing it anyways.**


	2. Episode 2

"Let me go, Goro!"

"Calm down, Ichigo! We don't know the full picture!"

"I know enough! She tried to kill him! She's _going_ to kill him!"

Ichigo was struggling.

Not just emotionally, but she was literally being physically restrained by her stamen from charging in Hiro's med-bay to save him from the Partner Killer.

Surprised as she was, she had been happy to see Hiro at the open med-bay door, look relatively fine despite the state he had been in after the operation. The surprise turned into shock, and then confusion, as Hiro, as if on a one man mission, made a beeline to Zero Two's frozen from, grabbed her and pulled her back into his temporary room, which closed behind him.

Then that confusion turned into fear, then anger.

Goro grunted as Ichigo elbowed his stomach, but held tight. "Damnit Ichigo! You saw the way she looked when we pulled them out! She was crying! Why would she cry if she was trying to kill him?"

"I…" Ichigo faltered. "I don't…"

The lull in their struggle allows the rest of the squad to intervene, thankfully, and Ikuno wasted no time taking that advantage. "Someone's crying."

"Eh?" The squad fell silent, and found that, indeed, they could here muffled sobbing from the medical bay.

Zorome blinked. "What are they…" he trailed off, confused, and rightfully so.

The partner killer was crying?

The sobbing stopped after a short while, and all that could be heard where a few mumbled words too soft to hear through the door. Ichigo, at the end of her patience, escaped Goro's arms and banged on the door. "Hiro! Are you okay?"

There was no response, and it stayed that way for a few moments, before the door slid open and Zero Two walked out with a content, no, _radiant _ look on her face.

Ichigo took a step back in surprise and a tad bit of fear and anger, but the taller girl ignored her. She ignored the whole squad, actually, and simply went on her way beaming all the while.

Squad 13's leader wasted no time pondering the girl's strange behavior and rushed into the medical bay, where, to her relief, the object of her worries sat quite unharmed on his bed.

"Hi, Ichigo. Hey guys," he nodded to the rest of Plantation 13's parasites as they entered.

"Hiro!"

"How are ya, bastard?" Zorome would have slugged his arm playfully but a scowling Miku stopped him, thankfully for Hiro. "Don't hit him, idiot! He's still injured!"

"_Ouch_! Jeez, sorry!"

Ikuno shook her head at Argentina's pilot's actions in exasperation while Kokoro smiled Hiro. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Hiro."

"Of course he's fine. He seems to survive everything thrown at him." Mitsuru scoffed, and Hiro focused on the brunette Stamen guiltily. _Mitsuru… I forgot about our promise, didn't I?_

"Hiro, what was Zero Two doing in here?" Ikuno, always the blunt one, went straight to the point, and the jovial air that had befallen the parasites shattered. The group turned to Hiro, who in turn had faced away from them.

Goro, who had been chilling in the back, focused on Hiro, curiosity aroused. _When he opened the door… it was like he saw nothing but her._

_Kind of like how I see Ichigo,_ another part of him spoke, and he mentally filed that thought aside for later examination.

What was Zero Two to Hiro? A partner? Or something more?

"We… talked. We sorted things out." He was he supposed to explain the situation? That she was his long-lost escapee? That he promised to-

Oh, shit. He promised to marry her.

"'Sorted things out?' Hiro, she tried to kill you!" Ichigo cried out. "She's the Partner Killer! She's just trying to drain you, use you! How can just sort things out with that mon-"

"**Don't**."

Ichigo stopped mid-tirade, shocked at the tone in Hiro's voice. "...Hiro?"

Hiro turned to face her, an unreadable expression on the parasite's face. "Don't call her that, please."

The room was dead quiet for a moment before Futoshi broke the tension. "Come on, guys! Lets talk about something else!"

"Or maybe we should give him more time to rest," Ikuno suggested. "He still looks pretty tired."

The Squad agreed to this, (Ichigo reluctantly), and they began to file out of the room, leaving Hiro with get-well wishes and encouragement.  
As the last of three filed out (Ichigo giving a final farewell), Hiro called out.

"Mitsuru, can you wait a moment?"

The parasite in question, curiosity aroused, stayed as asked. "What is it?"

"I forgot out our promise, didn't I?"

The statement took Mitsuru completely by surprise, and for a moment that shock showed on his face before he replaced it with an impassive mask. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago, I forgot about it myself," Mitsuru replied, lying through his teeth.

Hiro relaxed at that, and nodded at his fellow parasite. "Still, I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

Mitsuru shrugged, and proceeded to leave, all the while raging with inner turmoil.

_Damint Hiro… What am I suppose to do now?_

* * *

"HQ has sent the official orders for you're next sortie," Hachi announced to the gathered parasites.

They were once more in the briefing room, having been called a half-hour after leaving Hiro to his own devices. To Squad 13's discomfort and displeasure, Zero Two decided to show up as well, although she seemed not to be paying attention to the briefing, leaning on the railing near the back of the room.

Hachi continued undeterred. "We have been heading to a specific location for some time now." A screen was projected behind the blue-haired man, showing the parasites their destination.

"Your mission will be to eliminate every Klaxosaur within this structure, and take control of the area," he said, pointing to the screen.

"Furthermore," Nana said, joining Hachi, "This will be a co-op with the Nines, as well as every Plantation-based FranXX Squadron."

"A joint operation? Really?" Futoshi exclaimed.

Hachi nodded. "The opening salvo will be fired about twenty-seven hours from now. Your squad is scheduled to take part in the sixth wave."

"This will be without a doubt the most difficult sortie to date," Nana warned. "Be sure to-" Nana cut herself off as Code 015 raised her hand to speak. "Ichigo?"

"Please remove Code 002 from Squad 13 as of this mission."

* * *

Of all the things she expected to happen, getting removed from Plantation 13 somehow did not occur to Zero Two.

She had been mildly paying attention to the briefing whilst entertaining herself with thoughts of her Darling waiting for her in his medical-bay (and here she winced as she recalled _she _put him there) when the blue-haired _bitch _raised the request that would take her away from her Darling, possibly forever.

Nana sighed. "Ichigo, the thing is-"

Ichigo cut Nana off again. "If the request isn't granted, Squad 13 will not participate in the sortie. This is our decision as a whole.

We can't fight with her anymore."

Nana and Hachi exchanged a quick look, before returning their gazes back to the parasites.

"Code 002 was ordered to return to the Nines for this mission, anyways."

Both Ichigo and Zero Two jolted at this, albeit for different reasons, and Zero Two spun around to face the other occupants of the room. "Wait a second! Where'd that come from? Don't go deciding things for me!" she snarled.

Most of the parasites squirmed in discomfort, not expecting this kind of reaction from her. It almost seemed like she was…

Desperate. Desperate to stay. But why?

"HQ has already approved of the decision," Nana dismissed. "We can't keep you here any longer."

Zero Two bowed her head slightly, bangs shading her eyes. She was silent for a few moments before speaking up again.

"What about my Darling?"

Nana simply shook her head, and that was all the information Zero Two needed. She turned to leave, only to be blocked by the tubby one… _Futoshi, Darling had named him._

"Wh-where do you think you're going?" Futoshi stammered, but stood unwaveringly.

"Sorry," Zorome said as he came up behind her. "You're not going to his room."

By now, the rest of the squad were standing and glaring at the pinkette. "We won't let you see Hiro," Ichigo spoke calmly.

"No matter what."

Never before had Zero Two felt such _hatehatehatehAtEhAtEtHeMaLl _for people other than the Nines, Papa, and Doctor Frank. Many a time during her life she had dreamed of squeezing the life out of them the same way she did her stamens.

She now wanted to apply those fantasies to everyone within the room. Her vision went red, narrow eyes turning to aim at the one who was so adamant of getting between her and her Darling.

She took a step forward.

* * *

Zero Two needed him, he had never been so sure of anything else before. He could feel it somehow. Maybe it had something to do with the horns, and the way he felt had felt a spark of wondrous emotions running through them when he 'horn-nuzzled' her, he mused, but right now he could feel none of those, and that frightened him. He knew something was especially wrong when he started to feel an anger that was not his.

_Get up! She needs you! You promised!_

Had he been able to get up, he would have, but at the moment he was being examined by Doctor Frank's medical personnel, and his limbs were paralyzed to prevent any knee-jerk reactions while the Adults did their work.

He had ground his horns before Zero Two had left at her fearful insistence, which was warranted (unfortunately) at the fact that the bastard that was Doctor Frank would probably dissect him as soon as he caught wind of them.

Which Hiro'd rather avoid. That man had toyed with his head long enough.

So he started to think, and came to a logical conclusion.

_If I can feel her emotions, shouldn't she be able to feel mine?_

* * *

Goro saw out of the corner of his eye Zero Two moving towards Ichigo with a malevolent look in her shining… ruby eyes?

In that instant, he had quite a few thoughts run through his head.

The first one, purely instinct based, was _Oh sweet Papa we're going to die._

The other thoughts came so fast he didn't have time to analyze any of them save the one, but then he noticed something strange.

Zero Two had stopped.

Not just stopped, actually. Her expression had gone from being one of a creature of destruction to an angel.

Ichigo, who had also noticed Zero Two's advance and halt, backed up unconsciously watching the taller girl, who had closed her eyes in what seemed to be content..

Zero Two sighed in bliss. _This feeling… this wonderful feeling…  
_She only felt like this with Darling. Did that mean-

_Nope_, she shook her head. _Don't question it. Leave before you do something that will make Darling upset. _And that she did. She changed directions, heading to the door leading to Mistilteinn, and leaving Squad 13 very, _very_ confused.

* * *

"...what just happened?" Ikuno questioned.

"I've never seen someone swing moods so quickly…" Kokoro added.

Ichigo blinked, the tension leaving her shoulders as she relaxed at the disappearance of the Partner Killer.

Hachi raised an eyebrow at the parasites. "Are you done? Can we get back on track, or do you wish to remain in this room for another hour? Don't worry, I will send a guard to make sure she doesn't go see Code 016 if you wish."

The parasites, agreeing to this, sat themselves down, and pushed the strange confrontation out of mind for the time being.


	3. Episode 3

Hiro blinked confusedly as he woke up, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. _What happened?_ he thought. _I… Zero Two was in… _

That's right. Zero Two was in danger, or, rather, had been. He didn't sense the overwhelming rage from earlier, so he assumed that the surge of emotions he sent her must have been received. Then… nothing.

_Did I knock myself out?_

Oh, and his horns grew back. The bumps on his forehead were now more crystalline, like Zero Twos. Shrugging, he ruffled his bangs to cover them, stopping only when the door slid open, admitting Ichigo into Hiro's temporary room.

As soon as he laid eyes on her, the same overwhelming rage he felt earlier from Zero Two rose up from within him, and he suddenly had the urge to rip out her throat.

Then the feeling was gone, leaving Hiro reeling. "What was…" he murmured. Shaking his head, he turned back to his squadmate, noticing immediately that she looked subdued, or nervous.

Hiro frowned. "Hey, Ichigo, what's-"

Ichigo cut him off with a hand, and Hiro fell silent, allowing her to speak.

A mistake.

"We've requested the transfer of Zero Two back to the Nines."

_...What? _

_No. No, no, nonononononononono_

_Wait._

"'We'?" he all but growled, and the bluette flinched at his voice. "...Yes. We thought it'd be best for us, and you. She nearly killed you, Hiro," Ichigo explained.

Hiro suddenly understood what had cause Zero Two to rage earlier on. _She must have found out herself._ "When… when will the transfer take place?"

"A few hours at most, sometime early morning tomorrow.. The Nines are en-route to the Plantation. They should be here by nightfall, or dawn." Ichigo replied softly. "Hiro-"

There was silence for a moment, and Hiro turned way from her. A few moments later, Ichigo approached his bed, an apple in hand.

"You hate me, don't you?"

Hiro flinched at her words, and opened his mouth to respond, but Ichigo shook her head. "Even if you do, just… stay here, please. You need to heal." She placed the apple on the table by his bed and turned to leave. "There's a knife if you want to peel it." Then she left Hiro alone with his thoughts..

He clenched his fist. He knew what he had to do.

_Sorry, Ichigo…_

He got up.

_I can't do that._

_Zero Two is waiting for me._

* * *

Futoshi and Zorome stood outside Zero Two's room, which was quiet. It freaked them out a bit, since by the time they had caught up to the horned girl her happy mood had worn off, but she had only taken a large portion of food from the dining room with her and barricaded herself in her room. Which suited them fine.

"...Do you think transferring her is a good idea?" Futoshi spoke up, and Zorome scoffed. "Of course! Who knows which one of us she'll suck dry next? If the Elites can handle her, they have her."

A loud thump at the door reminded them that the walls weren't soundroof, and the two edged away from the door. "...But, yeah. Hiro'll probably get all whiny and mopey again. He can suck it up, right?"

"I hope so… He'll probably hate us for this. I probably would."

Zorome thought about Hiro's for a moment. If someone tried to take Miku from him, his partner, would he hate them too?

_Hell yeah I would._ He sighed; thinking about alternate scenarios wasn't going to get rid of their current problem.

The rise and fall of footsteps could be heard from the stairwell, and a few moment later Goro appeared from around the bend and walked towards them. "How's it going?"

"No trouble, really." Futoshi replied. "It's… kinda creepy." Zorome nodded in confirmation, and Goro studied the door that held the Partner Killer inside. _What to do with you…_

* * *

"He just collapsed? During the middle of the exam?"

"Yes, Doctor. It appears that his Saurification is happening on a larger scale than expected. As you can see here, on the recent x-rays of Code 016, you can see the growth of two-"

Doctor FranXX scoffed. "I can see. I'm not blind, you know. Hm, it appears that he ground them off. Why would he do that?"

The doctor thought on it for a bit, then snapped his fingers. "Bring me audio and video recording of everything that happened in that room. Starting from 0200 hours."

"As you say, Doctor FranXX." The aide left, and the doctor sat down to ponder a few new questions.

"What are you up to, 016?"

* * *

Miku looked to the right as Hiro hesitantly stepped out of his room, and stooped him with a hand to his chest. "You can't see her. Sorry." And she kind of was; that hopeless expression on his face never suited him.

He sighed, and retreated into the room, and Miku thought it would end there.

She had not expected him to race out of the room, rebound of the other wall, and smash her against the wall she had her back to. As she collapsed to the ground, she thought she saw Hiro give an apologetic glance, before gunning it down the corridor.

"WHAT THE HELL HIRO!"

"SORRY!" came the reply, and already it sounded quite far away. Miku blinked away the stars in her eyes and stood somewhat groggily. "Oh, Ichigo's gonna kill him for this. Then me. Damnit, Hiro." With that in mind, she began to sprint after the runaway parasite that was Code 016.

* * *

Hiro ran down the hallway with as much speed as he could muster, dodging adults who stopped to look curiously at the Stamen before moving on. He prayed he didn't run into Doctor FranXX, or Ichigo. No, both encounters would not end well. He had only one objective today, and for that he needed to get to the lift that would take him to Misteltien.

Luckily for him, neither of the two elevators were in use. He quickly hoped into one, chose a lower floor option, then exited and switched himself into the other one, this time clicking the upper floor option. As the elevator doors began to close, he caught a glimpse of Miku rounding the corner, and he gave a sigh of relief that he had taken the initiative to delay her. Hiro sat down in a corner, his stamina spent from the run, and he began to think. He hated to leave his friends unexpectedly, but Zero Two came first.

He smirked at that. Goro, when they were younger, had once told him not to be so selfless, lest one day all your wants and needs coalesce into one.

"Well," he murmured. "I guess you're right, Goro. I _am _selfish.

But…"

_As long as she's with me… As long as she's by my side..._

"I don't really care."

…

…

…

With a ding, the door opened, and Hiro took another step towards freedom.

* * *

Zero Two hunched up in the corner of her room, arms around knees up to her chest. She hadn't moved from that spot in the last hour.

What was there to do?

Tomorrow, she would be taken from her Darling, possibly forever, and that would end their only chance of breaking the cage they were in. And what could she do about it? Darling was hospitalized, the squad had allied against her, and the Adults were never her allies to begin with.

She was alone here.

So she sat, and let the darkness consume her. She let the shadows lengthen on the walls and in her mind, easily slipping back into her old mentality, one that revisited the past time and time again, looking for happy memories only to see the faces of those she had killed and those who had died because of her inability to stop the Inva-

...What?

Something was tapping at the window. A bird?

Zero Two lifted her head, and instead of a bird, saw an Angel perched precariously on a tree branch..

Zero Two gaped.

The Angel grinned.

"Da…" So surprised and elated was Zero Two that she couldn't even form coherent words. At least, at first. "Darling?"

"Hey, Zero Two." His (beautiful) voice was somewhat muffled due to the window in between them, but that didn't matter! Nothing mattered now except the fact that Darling was _here!_ He came for her!

"Uh, Darling to Zero Two?"

Oh, she had been daydreaming to long. Oops. "What are you doing, Darling?" she asked him, and here his smile faded. "You… you're getting transferred tomorrow, right?"

Zero Two's grin also faded, and she nodded in confirmation.

"I mean, well, you can't get transferred if you're not here, right?" His grin came back in full force, and only then did she notice Hiro held a large rock in his hand. "Stand back, Zero Two!"

She complied, and a few moments later the rock came crashing through the window. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a satchel, filled it with the food she had pilfered from the dining room, and ran to the edged of the window to meet him.

Just like the first time, Darling held out his hand.

And, just like the first time, Zero Two took it.

Hiro smiled. _Take my hand, Zero Two…_

Zero Two beamed back at him. _Don't let me go, Darling._


	4. Episode 4

And, just like the first time, Hiro overestimated the tree branch's strength.

"_Oh, shi_-"

It snapped.

* * *

The crash was what brought everyone out of their gloom.

The majority of Squad 13, minus Miku, were sitting in silence in the dining hall, everyone lost in their own world. So of course it was rather a shock to hear the horrid sound of breaking glass.

"What the hell?" Goro murmured. Then he caught on, and he paled. "Oh, crap." Ichigo, by this point, had already sprung up from her chair and was sprinting to the stairwell, Goro, Zorome, and Futoshi following shortly. Ikuno gave a small sigh, placed her book on the table, and raced after the others.

Mitsuru and Kokoro glanced at each other, the stairwell, then each other again.

Then they shrugged in unison.

It wasn't their problem, after all.

Ichigo was the first to make it to the Partner Killer's room, slamming the door open. Had Goro not been right behind her ready to grab her, she might have fallen on the glass shards littered around the room. The curtains shifted slightly in front of the broken window, and the two partners rushed to it, peering out.

"Why did she choose now?" Ichigo growled. She had no doubt in her mind where she was going. She turned to leave in an attempt to catch her, then the sharp intake of Goro's breath redirected her back to the window.

Hiro was staring back at her.

The two sets of partners stared at each other in silence. Ichigo noted faintly that Hiro had taken the Partner Killer's hand in his, and also took note of the snapped tree branch besides them.

By that point, the rest of Squad 13 had joined the two, and only then did Hiro give them an apologetic smile.

"Sorry."

Then the two turned and ran.

* * *

She had never felt so free.

With her Darling besides her and their freedom in front of them, she felt as if she could a marathon around the entirety of the Plantation.

Come to think it, they might actually have to by the end of this.

The two hybrids managed to get to the elevator down to the rest of Cerasus when it began to open. Thinking quickly, Zero Two dragged her Darling behind a nearby try, letting out a breath of relief when Miku ran past them. To her curiosity, Darling had the look of a guilty conscience, but she waited until they were in the lift before asking. "Neh, Darling. Why the long face?"

Darling blinked, and looked at her. "Oh. It's just…" Then he turned back towards what had been their home. "I hate to leave them like this, but… What else can we do? I know they won't come willingly, and we don't have time to convince them of Papa's crimes."

Zero Two smiled inwardly. _That's my Darling, always caring. _"You did the best you could, I think." With that, they fell silent, quickly making their way into the elevator before it closed. "Where to, Darling?"

"The change-rooms, I think. We need the extra clothes."

Several minutes later, the two hybrids (or near-hybrid in Hiro's case) were rushing down the corridors that led to Plantation 13's change-rooms, and, by proxy, the FranXX cages. When they came to the two doors of the change-rooms, Hiro turned to Zero Two. "You take the girls, I take the boys?"

Zero Two nodded, and they split ways.

* * *

He didn't even get the chance to try and calm Ichigo down before she raced after the two escapees(?), and Goro could only try to keep up. As it was, all of Squad 13 was racing after the two, save Mitsuru and Kokoro, doing Papa-knows-what, in an attempt to stop them from doing… whatever they were planning on doing.

Goro had the feeling it wasn't good.

For those two or for Squad 13 as a whole, Goro didn't know yet.

The situation only worsened when they met up with Miku, who was also chasing Hiro as he had escaped her sight by knocking her near unconscious, something that _greatly _angered Zorome, to Miku's surprise and hidden pleasure. Of course, Ichigo hadn't been pleased in the slightest. "You let him get away?!"

"_Wow_, Ichigo, it's almost as if he didn't _knock me unconscious_!" Miku shot back angrily. "What was I supposed to do, shrug it off?!"

Goro had enough. "It doesn't matter who let him get out now, all that matters is that he obviously wants out! Why would he be this desperate- wait." _Ichigo had visited Hiro earlier today, after their last meeting…_ "Ichigo, what did you tell Hiro?"

His partner was silent for a moment. "...I told him Zero Two was being transferred tomorrow. But I didn't think he'd..."

"How'd you fell if someone told you Goro was being transferred away from you?" Zorome interrupted gruffly, and immediately everyone could see the Stamen's point. There was an awkward silence for a moment, the Ichigo shook her head. "This is for Hiro's own good. If we don't get him away from her, he'll die. Do you guys want that?"

Zorome had the grace to look chastised. "N-no…"

"Then-" there was a ding as the elevator door opened, "lets go save him."

The ride down was as silent as it was short. On a whim, they decided to check the locker rooms first, seeing as it made sense for Zero Two to drag Hiro there if she truly wished to get them away.

They were only a few moments away when they both exited their respective genders' room. Squad 13 froze, as did they for a moment, before making a break for the docking bay.

"HIRO, WAIT!" Ichigo's cry did nothing but cause Hiro to falter for a split second before he recovered and ran alongside his partner. They other Parasites sprinted as hard as they could, yet, even at full tilt, the two partners were steadily gaining ground between them. Finally, Squad 13 lost sight of them when the flashed by the bay doors and into the FranXX loading area.

By the time they got to the doors, they were panting, and Goro looked around, eyes dropping on one of the many confused adults around them, and pointed in Hiro's direction. "S-stop.. You need to stop-"

"Not to worry, Code 056."

The clanking of metal on the steel ramparts pulled Squad 13's attention away from the two Parasites who were currently boarding their FranXX.

Dr Werner Frank himself hobbled up to them, holding what appeared to be a remote in his hands. "They won't be going anywhere without my approval."

Goro noticed Ichigo let out a sigh of relief and shoot Goro a faint smile, and Goro couldn't help but do the same despite the fact that this felt _oh so wrong._

The doctor walked past the recovering Parasites towards Strelitzia, pressing a button on said remote. Almost immediately after, the safety clamps clanged into place and Strelitzia thrashed and writhed in it's attempt to free itself. "Let's go ask them what they were thinking, yes?"

* * *

Nonono_n̵̟̉̕͜ò̶̢̪͊n̷̖̝̂o̶̦̅ń̸̨̻ȏ̶̘̟͎̔̊̚̚ň̴̹̗̤͔̚_O̵̢̡̫̥͌̀̓̇**ǹ̸̛̟̼̰̲̲͗͠͝Ō̵̙͎̥̋̋͠n̷̯̯͛̊̅Ŏ̴̹̬̙͈̤n̴̲̜̱͖̺̉͆̾O̴̼̲͉͚̗͌̚͝ń̴̤͕̹͂̐͛̂̂͝Ǫ̸̝̟̱̳̠̆̐̆͛̅̅͝n̸̨͔̬͊̄́͊̌͒̅̈́̚͝**_**Ö̸̧̡̨̗̞̜̤́̀́̀̃͒̾ǹ̷͍̔̊̍̌̌̈́̇͘͠Ö̵̩̭̦̼̮́̃̾͐͒̒̎̀͘ͅn̷̘̗̭̑̀͐̀̓ͅͅO̴͚̪͒̊́̉́̈́͐̃̀̕͠n̶͕̔̑͂̀̿͠O̸͔̳̮͌͛̒͑̂̒̂͝n̷̢̹̫͉̩̬͔̝̑͗̍͑̄O̶̭̊͋͊͐̎̀̚ͅṇ̵̢̛̜̳̰͑͋̑O̵͎̠̲̣͇̅̋͂̉͊́̌̚**_

They couldn't move.

The cage door had never been more open than now, and it was _right _in front of them and they _coul**dn'**t __**move wh̶ÿ̴̜́ c̵̙̄̑o̴̥͗͜u̷͚͐̈l̷̠̫͝d̸̺͉̆n̷̯̾̌t̸͍̋ ̶̬̮͗t̶̘̉̏h̶̞̊ê̴͎̣y̵͔̣͠ ̶̹͓̎m̷̡̒o̷͚͑v̷̤̬͝e̵̩̒̋**_

Everything had been going so well for them. They had managed to evade Darling's (former) squadmates, the Adults did nothing to stop them, and they had managed to reach Strelitzia before anyone could lock them out or capture them.

Then the doctor arrived, and with the click of a button, the cage closed in on them.

Hiro hit the arm of his Stamen-cockpit with an unbridled anger. Zero Two stewed in the Pistil terminal. Outside, Strelitzia thrashed, even as Plantation and A.P.E. guards surrounded the immobilized FranXX.

"002, 016. I expected better of you."

Doctor Frank. He stood in front of them now, watching the ruby-red eyes of his creation flash in _pure hatred _for the man in front of them, but he shrugged. "Did you honestly think I would not catch wind of your escape attempt? You only got this far because I wished to see how far you would take this. I must say, you certainly proved your capabilities in keeping up with your fellow hybrid, 016."

Inside Strelitzia, bot Stamen and Pistil stiffened, and Zero Two cast a worried glance at her Darling.

_How did he find-_

"Of course, I suppose I'll figure it out after you're sent to reeducation," and Strelitzia stopped struggling for a moment.

Zero Two had heard the stories, hell, she had been sent to be reeducated several times herself some time after Darling had been taken from her. Those who went in left a blank slate, the perfect tool for Papa and his sycophants to mold to their whims.

Strelitzia glared down balefully at the doctor. "**Darling is **_**MINE! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM!"**_

"He's not yours to take!" That was Ichigo, and Goro, and the rest of the parasites of Squad 13. "Give Hiro back. Now."

"Don't make us ask again," Goro all but growled. Ichigo was right; as much as it felt wrong, he wouldn't just stand there and let his friend ride to his death-

"**Fuck off, Goro."**

That stunned both Squad 13 _and _doctor Frank; that was _Hiro's_ voice.

"**Do you want to know something, doctor?"** the voice of Hiro spat out. "**I would rather **_**die**_ **than go willingly with you. I will **_**never **_**serve you, or Papa, or the Council, not after what you've done to her. **_**Ever!**_"

The doctor stared at the FranXX for a few moments longer, then shrugged again. "A pity. You truly were a prodigy, I had such high hopes for you." Then he turned to the various guards and technicians. "Pry them out." He began to walk away as the Adults converged on the FranXX, which now lay despondent silent. Frank waved to the other Parasites. "Come on, you'll see them soon enough, when 002 is shipped off tomorrow-"

All their musings were abruptly cut off by a flash of crimson behind them.

* * *

_I'm sorry, Zero Two. I-I tried to get us out, I really-_

_I know. I'm sorry too, Darling._

_I won't forget you this time. I promise. I'll come find you, no matter the distance._

_That's if I don't find you first, Darling._

_Zero Two, I-_

_Darling, I-_

_I _

_Love _

_You_

* * *

The technicians stopped in confusion. The FranXX they had been tasked with opening had just frozen stock-still, unlike anything it had ever done before. And then, before their very, it's pale white hue began to change, shifting and fading away to allow for the new dominant hue to show.

Crimson.

And Strelitzia opened its eyes.

Doctor Frank stared at it, mouth agape. "That- That's-" _The Pinnacle of my work! The Iron Maiden!_

_Neo Strelitzia Apus!_

The Parasites stared as well, shock and fear showing clearly. "What in Papa's name _is_ that?!" Miku gave a shocked cry. The others, however, didn't have an answer.

Strelitzia didn't wait for them to find one.

In one shrug of it's shoulders, the clamps that held it in place shattered, and it's arms were free. By now, the techies and guards were evacuating the ramparts, and for good reason.

For, as soon as the last had cleared from Strelitzia's sight, the FranXX burst forward, smashing right through the ramparts, and stopped in the middle of the docking bay, facing the massive doors that led outside.

For once, the Plantation was silent, Adults and children alike staring at the freed Jian. They briefly contemplated killing doctor Frank, but then shrugged, and let it go.

Then they themselves went, surging forward in a great boost from their thrusters, lance forward, and bashed the doors down.

For the first time, the Jian truly bathed in the setting sunlight.

It was unshackled.

It was free.

* * *

Hiro and Zero Two looked back for a moment, gazing at the Plantation that had been both their prison and their home, and least temporarily. The hybrid Stamen noticed someone trying to hail them over the comms, so he disconnected them. He didn't care if they were his friends, or orders to return. He had made his choice, and so had Zero Two, and they had no regrets when they turned towards the sun.

_Where to, Zero Two?_

_Mmm… I've always wanted to see the ocean. Do you want to see it with me?_

_I'd love nothing more._

And so, the Bird of Paradise spread its wings to their full length for the first time since its creation, and it flew, leaving its cage behind, friends, enemies, and all.

They had naught but each other, and that was all they needed.

* * *

**A/N: I should've updated this a _long_ time ago, but, welp.**

**Don't expect this to be updated for a long while.**


End file.
